English

Noun

Synonyms

The coast is defined as the part of the land
adjoining or near the ocean. A coastline is properly a
line on a map indicating the disposition of a coast, but the word
is often used to refer to the coast itself. The adjective coastal
describes something as being on, near to, or associated with a
coast.

Coast is a specific term, and is applied to that
part of an island or continent that borders an ocean or its
saltwater tributaries.
A pelagic coast refers
to a coast which fronts the open ocean, as opposed to a more
sheltered coast in a gulf
or bay.
A shore on the other hand,
can refer to parts of the land which adjoin any large body of
water, including oceans (sea shore) and lakes (lake shore). Similarly, the
somewhat related term bank refers to
the land alongside or sloping down to a river (river bank) or of a body of
water smaller than a lake. Bank is also used in some parts of the
world to refer to an artificial ridge of earth intended to retain
the water of a river or pond. In other places this may be
called a levee.

While many scientific experts might agree on a
common definition of the term "coast", the delineation of the
inland extents of a coast differ according to jurisdiction, with many
scientific and government authorities in various countries
differing for economic and social policy reasons. This is usually
because defining lands as part of a coast may be seen to have
environmental implications which would prevent development or
attach regulations to their use.

Environmental importance

The coast and its adjacent areas
on and off shore is an important part of a local ecosystem as the mixture of
fresh water and salt water
in estuaries provides
many nutrients for marine life. Salt marshes and beaches also support a diversity
of plants, animals, and insects crucial to the food
chain.

Human impacts

further Marine
debris Coasts also face many environmental challenges relating
to human-induced impacts. The human influence on climate
change is thought to be a contributing factor of an accelerated
trend in sea level
rise which threatens coastal habitat as natural systems
struggle to adapt faster. Human development of coastal land,
particularly for recreational or industrial uses are similarly
threatened by sea level rise, but also contribute to aesthetic problems of land use
and reduced natural coastal habitat.

Pollution is an ongoing concern along coasts with
garbage
and industrial debris littering beaches and sometimes entire
coasts, requiring government agencies to make frequent use of
beach
cleaners and other volunteer cleanup efforts. The transportation of petroleum in tankers is
a major hazard both for the open ocean and along coasts,
particularly when large oil spills
occur. Another major hazard for coastal marine life is the large
number of small oil spills created by large and small vessels
powered by petroleum which flush bilge water directly into the
ocean.

Both the terms coast and coastal are often used
to describe a geographic location or region. For example, New
Zealand's West
Coast, or the
East and
West Coasts of the United States. A large part of the global
population inhabits areas near a coast, partly to take advantage of
marine resources such as fish, but more importantly to participate
in seaborne trade with other nations. Many of the world's major
cities that have developed in recent centuries were built on or
near good harbours and
have large port facilities
to take advantage of marine transportation. Jurisdictions which are
landlocked and have
no coast are often at an economic disadvantage with overseas trade
being more difficult; sometimes being forced to go to extravagant
measures such as building canals to permit ocean-going
vessels to travel inland.

Many tourists and residents also enjoy the salt
air by the sea coast which some consider to have health benefits.
Coastal weather is heavily influenced by the ocean and while this
can sometimes result in dangerous storms such as Nor'easters and
hurricanes, the
coastal climate is often cooler and more temperate than
corresponding inland areas. Consequently tourists from areas
experiencing extremely warm and humid weather seek coastal areas
for these reasons.

The coast is often a crucial defensive frontier,
both for warding off military invaders but also smugglers and
illegal migrants. Coastal
defenses have thus long been erected in many nations. Most
coastal countries also have a navy and some form of coast
guard.

Types of coast

An emergent coastline is a coastline which has
experienced a fall in sea level, because of either a global sea
level change, or local uplift. Emergent coastlines are identifiable
by the coastal landforms, which are above the
high tide mark, such as raised
beaches. Alternatively, a submergent coastline is a coastline
which has experienced a rise in sea level, due to a global sea
level change, local subsidence, or isostatic
rebound. Submergent coastlines are identifiable by their
submerged, or "drowned" landforms, such as rias (drowned valleys) and fjords.

A concordant coastline is a coastline where bands
of different rock types run parallel to the shore. These rock types
are usually of alternating resistance,
so the coastline forms distinctive landforms, such as coves. A
discordant coastline is a type of coastline formed when rock types
of alternating resistance run perpendicular to the shore.
Discordant coastlines feature distinctive landforms because the
rocks are eroded by
oceanwaves. The less resistant rocks
erode faster, creating inlets or bays;
the more resistant rocks erode more slowly, remaining as headlands
or outcroppings.

Wildlife

Animals

Animals living
along the coast vary enormously, some live along coasts to nest
like puffins, sea turtles
and rockhopper
penguins. Sea snails and
various kinds of barnacles live on the coast and
scavenge on food deposited by the sea. Most coastal animals are
used to humans in developed areas, such as dolphins and seagulls who eat food thrown
for them by tourists. Since the coastal areas are all part of the
littoral
zone, there is a profusion of marine life found just
off-coast.